When Shadows Meet Light
by Running For Anothers Dream
Summary: In a time where Neji Hyuga has been outcast from his village, there are few places to turn. The shadows reach out from every corner - and eventually lead him to a group of criminals known as the Akatsuki, who take him in as one of their own. Except there is something different in the works, something bigger and while Hyuga may mean light, Neji is Hyuga no more.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the prologue for my epic novel-esque fanfiction that this is hopefully going to turn into. It's an AU version of Naruto, and everything that is different shall be revealed as the story goes on.

Please, enjoy and know that reviews are my soul. c:

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"Is your name Hyuga Neji?" questions the head of the council, a small woman with an aged face.

Neji gives a sharp nod, because these questions are standard fare and he knows them like the back of his hand. He has just never been on this end of them before. "Yes, ma'am."

"Do you understand the charges you are being held on?" asks the woman, and her sharp eyes rake him over. Neji can feel them pause on his forhead, where his headband should have been but wasn't.

And he does, of course he does. This entire trial is a useless endevor.

"Yes, ma'am." he answers, giving another nod.

She frowns, chapped lips turning down and wrinkles forming around her eyes. "You are being charged with the claim of murdering Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan. What is your defence on this matter?"

And there were many that he could have used, actually. False claims and mind altering jutsu and an alibi that Hinata already offered to form for him.

Instead, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, because this has been a long time coming. "I have no defence. As I told Lady Hinata, our current head of Clan, I plead guilty to all charges that are against me."

And the room goes silence then, as the council looks him over. The whispers start up after a moment though, and the retired shinobii lean close to each other and trade words, stories, horrofied glances in his direction.

Eventually, the head-woman, Tarana Mia, clears her throat. All voices stop, all eyes turn towards her, and she looks almost sad for the briefest of moments. Then her blue eyes are stern again and Neji knows why.

"Then we have no choice. Hyuga Neji, you are found guilty of all charges." says Mia, and there is no sorrow in her voice. Little emotion at all, really. "The Lady Hinata is no longer in charge of you nor your punishment. I will address matters with the Hokage. Do you understand the gravity of your ordeal?"

"Yes, ma'am." says Neji, and this time the words grate on his tongue. He does not regret his actions, not in the slightest, but he still fears his punishment.

Neji has seen the fates of those convicted of betraying the village, after all. Can still remember seeing the people that he almost considered to be friends cry at the funeral of Uchiha Sasuke, and the way that his black robes felt so heavy.

He shifts, tilting his head until he can meet Mia's eyes. Then he gives the slightest of smiles - and knows that there is no doubt in this womans mind that he is responsible for his uncles death.

"I understand perfectly."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Still a little on the short side, but I think it's a nice first chapter. Reviews are loved and reviewers are also loved. Let me know what you think!

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"Neji?" asks Hinata, tilting her head at the other Hyuga. She wraps her hand around one of the iron bars seperating them both and then slowly slides to her knees, legs folding beneath her. "Are they treating you alright?"

It's a silly question to ask a prisoner, but the corners of Neji's lips twitch up all the same. "Yes, Lady Hinata. The Hokage has made sure that I'm being taken care of properly."

Or perhaps it was his sensei?

His former team-mate, Tenten?

Whoever it was that had pulled the strings, Neji has found himself sitting in one of the more proper cells. Two guards stand outside has door at all times - save now, where they have parted in order to let the Hyuga heiress inside, to give her time alone with the man that killed her father.

"That's good," says Hinata, softly. For a moment, their eyes meet, pale and pale, milk and milk, and then she looks away. At the floor, the wall, the dark fabric draped over her legs, anywhere save Neji.

And he's fine with that, really. Seeing Hinata here, now, it's hard for him.

Harder then anything else because he knows that she should hate him...and knows that she never will.

Almost as if on a cue, the other jounin looks up and her eyes are serious. Dainty lips have formed a thin line, and this is not the trembling girl that he once fought against, back when his mind was too clouded by hate to understand how anything in the world worked.

"Stop that," she says, and she sounds almost angry. "You're thinking that I should be mad at you, but I'm not. I know that - you had to have a reason to do what you did, and I don't blame you for it. I just want to know what it is."

Neji is silent for a long moment, a very long one.

He can remember, as a child, watching Hinata and Hiashi. It was back before Hanabi had ever even been thought of, and his cousin wore a silk kimono. White, with bright flowers and leaves and the swirls of the wind.

Neji had been bringing her tea and had tripped. It splattered over the heiress and she had cried out, in shock but not pain, because it was nowhere near that hot. The white kimono though had been stained brown though and, later that night, when the heiress was out of sight, Neji can still recall the searing pain that had coarsed through his body, scorching every nerve and setting him ablaze.

He exhales loudly and can feel Hinata's eyes, boring deep into him. Then he meets her gaze, steady and determined. "The Hyuga Clan has to change, Lady Hinata. Someone had to start it...and you have to make sure that it follows through. Do you understand that?"

It is Hinata's turn to be silent, mouth pulled into a thin line. Neji cannot help but think that she will make a wonderful head of house, much better any before her.

She is no coward, after all, and she is not afraid of change. In fact, she thrives off of it, constantly trying to prove others wrong, to better herself, to show that she is worthy of the Hyuga name.

So when she nods, Neji finds himself giving the slightest of smiles.

"Of course," agrees Hinata, and there is a look of resolve on her face. Determination in her voice. "I won't let you down, Neji. My father will not have died in vain, and your efforts will not be forgotten. I'll make sure of it!"


End file.
